Is School Really Worth It?

Are you in high school right now? I bet sometimes you wonder what the point is learning things like calculus? As if you’ll ever use that stuff in real life?

Well, here’s the thing. You might end up using calculus (if you want to become an engineer for example) but you don’t know that yet. Most people in high school don’t know what they want to do later in life and that’s ok.

Some classes open more doors than others

You can’t become a doctor if you don’t take your sciences. You can’t become an accountant if you don’t take math. Usually, the harder the class, the more doors it opens. It’s all about options, so take those classes and give yourself more choices.

As you learn specific things like how to decipher a Shakespearean play or how to calculate an integral, you are actually learning how to learn. Do you learn best in class or on your own from a book? Does it help when you write things down or when you say things out loud? Learning how YOU learn is probably the most important thing you get from school.

Why learning is important

Learning is important because we always want things to be better and improved. Take for example some of the products on the market. We always want faster and more efficient cars, warmer and lighter jackets, healthier and tastier foods, etc.

That means that these companies have to continually learn how to make things better. And when I say companies have to learn, I’m talking about the people inside those companies. Learning is a for life thing because things always move forward and competition requires that we always do better. Those who can continually learn will forever be in demand.

After high school

Companies hire people to solve their problems. For example, a restaurant will have customers that will order food but there’s a problem, they need someone at the cash to take their order. That’s what cashiers do. That’s the problem they solve and that’s what they get paid for.

When you’re young, there usually aren’t too many problems you can solve for companies. You can take orders at a fast food restaurant, you can sell basic items in a retail store or maybe you can do landscaping work.

And because the problems you solve for these companies are pretty basic level, so is your pay! That’s why you need to keep studying after high school, to learn how to solve bigger and more important problems.

Maybe you study graphic design in college and get a job making ads for that same fast food company you worked for in high school. Only this time you are solving a bigger problem for them, attracting millions of customers to their restaurants with your ads and as a result you make way more money.

Every job counts, even the ones that don’t pay much. They give you an idea of what you’re good at and what problems they need help with, which in turn helps you determine what you want to study after high school.

Money

On average the more education you have, the more money you will make. That’s why education is such a good investment.

The graph below shows the average annual earnings of workers 25 to 64 years old by educational attainments in 1999 dollars.
Over the life of your career, getting an education after high school can give an extra $1 million in income. Think of all the things you would be able to do with a cool extra $1 million in income…

What school really gives you

School shows you how to acquire knowledge. That knowledge allows you to help others, earn a better living and can give you real independence and pride in your life. Don’t deny yourself those things by dropping out of school.